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Gay Marriage in China

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Same-sex Marriage in Mainland China
Sun Wenlin, the 26-year-old plaintiff, walked out of the court hand-in-hand with his partner, Hu Mingliang, and said he would appeal. Their case was heard at a court on April 13, 2016, in Furong district, Changsha city, Hunan province. The lawsuit was brought by the couple, who were challenging the decision of a local civil affairs bureau that had denied them the right to marry. The case was dismissed after an open hearing that lasted three hours and was held before an audience of nearly 200 people, including many journalists.
It was the first case of its kind in China in which gay people had tested whether same-sex couples have the right to marry. While homosexuality is not illegal in China, same-sex marriage has not yet been explicitly legalized. Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is marriage between people of the same sex, either as a secular civil ceremony or in a religious setting. The Netherlands was the first country to legalize same-sex marriages. Since then, same-sex marriages have been performed in more than 20 countries.
Nowadays, in mainland China, no same-sex marriage or civil union is recognized. The Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China explicitly defines marriage as the union between one man and one woman. No other form of civil union is recognized. As early as two decades ago, homosexuality was a taboo subject. However, with social development, Chinese people have become more open-minded about a variety of issues, homosexuality included. The recognition of same-sex marriage in China is still a political and social issue and debates continue to arise over whether people in same-sex relationships should be allowed marriage or some similar status.
Chinese society—particularly its web-savvy youth is becoming increasingly tolerant of same-sex unions. In a poll launched on September 7, 2014, on

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